Stop Shaming Large Families

Stop Shaming Large Families

Catholic podcaster Lila Rose, the third of eight children, best known for her pro-life activism, shared in a recent social media post, ‘We have three kids. At least once a week when I’m out in public with them someone comments that I have my “hands full” or they ask me (almost always nicely, just making small talk) if we’re “done.” I always say I hope not, I’d love to have more. They always look surprised.”

To that post more than 500 responses came in the comment section from mostly moms of large families who also shared their experiences out in the world with their kids. Their comments were disheartening but not surprising.

One of them shared how someone in her Catholic parish church said to her after Mass, “You all take up a whole pew…. Maybe it’s time to stop.”  Another church going mom of four said,  people in my church comment,  "I would have had more than 1 kid if I didn't have to work."

Another mom said, “Every time school restarts, people ask if I'm ready to have my "house back", and my response is always, NO! I love hanging out with my kids, that's why I had them!”

At a time when we are currently undergoing a global population implosion, there are a bunch of perfect strangers swirling around who are clueless to how breathtakingly rude it is to publicly shame moms with big families. It is not only rude but extremely ignorant. Some have drunk from the climate arlarmism, doomer kool-aid and are taking a moral stand against these big families. They see it as their duty to shame others into shutting down their fertility or baby-making process all together advocating the 'child-free' lifestyle.

As one dad said, “So many of us have been wrongfully taught that we are contributing to an overcrowded planet and therefore potentially encroaching on the needs of others - or worse yet, the planet's needs.” Another commenter made a similar argument, “I have 6 children, and so far 9 grandchildren, and was asked the same questions. Funny that we were subtly shamed for having more than 2 children, when all the time humanity was heading for a population collapse.”

The "are you done" question is what boggles my mind. Why do strangers/acquaintances care if you are going to have more or not. Actually They should care. With the population shrinking and the replacement rate at a critical low point, there may not be anyone left to cover the costs of the anti-family generation as they age and retire. 

One of the fathers who commented shared his tremendous comeback to an anti-family, pro-abort fanatic. “Once, while praying in front of Planned Barrenhood with all our children, a pro abortion ‘escort’ was hassling me about the amount of children we had. I told him that he should be grateful because they would be paying his Social security one day. He thought for about 30 seconds and said, "You're right. Thank you."

As it is, parents of large families tend to be self-sufficient and overall a net gain to the system. Many send their kids to Catholic school, private school or homeschool, yet they pay local and state taxes to support government run, public school education. This, in addition to federal taxes to support the Department of Education, who through their DEI and pro-LGBTQ initiatives have ruined the schools for families who are traditional and religious. Not only are they paying for their own kids, with little to no help from the system, they are being taxed to pay for the kids of those who are complaining about their choice to have a large family. 

They ought to be thanked for replenishing the sickly, dwindling population with healthy, God-fearing and quality people, instead they are being vilified. We truly live in an upside down world.

Jesus warned us that this would happen: "But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’"

 “Please tell me you’re done.”

I found the  following comments to be heart breaking: 

“One older lady at the grocery store told me about birth control while I was pregnant with my third… I cried on the way home.”

When I was pregnant with my 3rd and 4th babies, I got so many very negative comments like “you know how that happens, right?”, “why do you want so many kids!?”, and the absolute worst “keep your legs closed!”

Big families thanks for giving us hope…

We see you and we appreciate you. Not only do you pour yourself out daily for your own kids, you are doing a tremendous good for the rest of society even though it is seldom acknowledged. As one commenter said, ‘Be the light in this dark world. Each child is a gift and should be cherished. Large families don't divide the love, they multiply it”. You probably feel like Jesus who was mocked and jeered by total strangers along the Way of the Cross as he made his way up to Golgotha to pour out his love for them. 

Best Comebacks in the face of rude comments…

Rude Stranger: “your hands are full..” 

Wonderful Mom: “yes, full of love! “ or "If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!" or "Better full, than empty."

Rude Stranger:  "You know what causes that, right?" 

Wonderful Mom: I politely smiled and replied, "A reeeeeally healthy marriage. Wink-wink"  

Rude Stranger:  “how many kids do you want?” or “How many kids are you going to have?”

Wonderful Mom:  “all of them”.

Rude Stranger:  Children are a curse.

God: “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” ??Psalms? ?127?:?3?-?5? ?NKJV??